Storage device, mobile robot, storage method, and storage program

ABSTRACT

Provided is a storage device including: a first storage region comprising a plurality of sensor regions for the plurality of the sensors; a second storage region into which a data set is written, the data set being generated by reading, from the respective plurality of sensor regions, sampling data of a sensor having a longest sampling period among the plurality of sensors for one period and sampling data of other sensors for a period corresponding to the period in which the sampling data of the sensor for the one period is generated and integrating the sampling data; and a control unit configured to write the sampling data of the plurality of sensors into the plurality of sensor regions, respectively, in a ring buffer format and generate the data set at a predetermined timing and write the data set into the second storage region in the ring buffer format.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese patent application No. 2017-016761, filed on Feb. 1, 2017, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a storage device, a mobile robot, astorage method, and a storage program.

Various sensors are mounted on, for example, a mobile robot capable ofmoving autonomously. There are demands for recording outputs of thesesensors so that movements of the mobile robot can be used for operationslater and analyzed. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. H10-309683 discloses a robot that does not recordoutputs of sensors but is configured to store operation waveform data ofa plurality of points in a control circuit at predetermined periods in aring buffer so that the data can be analyzed afterwards.

SUMMARY

Since the sampling period differs from sensor to sensor and the volumeof sampling data to be output also differs from sensor to sensor, inorder to store outputs from a plurality of sensors of different types, ahuge memory will be required if all the outputs are to be stored. Itwill thus be difficult to know the relations between respective piecesof the sampling data.

The present disclosure has been made to solve such a problem and aims toefficiently obtain the outputs from the plurality of sensors ofdifferent types in a log by a compact hardware configuration.

A first aspect of the present disclosure is a storage device for storingsampling data of a plurality of sensors of different types. The storagedevice includes: a first storage region comprising a plurality of sensorregions for the plurality of the sensors, respectively, a storagecapacity into which sampling data for a plurality of periods is writtenbeing allocated to each one of the plurality of sensor regions; a secondstorage region into which a data set is written, the data set beinggenerated by reading, from the respective plurality of sensor regions,sampling data of a sensor having a longest sampling period among theplurality of sensors for one period and sampling data of other sensorsfor a period corresponding to the period in which the sampling data ofthe sensor for the one period is generated and integrating the samplingdata; and a control unit configured to write the sampling data of theplurality of sensors into the plurality of sensor regions, respectively,in a ring buffer format and generate the data set at a predeterminedtiming and write the data set into the second storage region in the ringbuffer format.

In the storage device configured in a manner described above, a ringbuffer for storing the data set, which is integrated sampling data, isprovided separately from ring buffers for storing the sampling data ofthe respective sensors. It is thus possible to reduce memory capacitiesof the ring buffers for the respective sensors. Further, since the dataset is generated at a desired timing in synchronization with one periodof the sensor having the longest sampling period, it is possible toefficiently leave information for constructing a log necessary foranalysis afterwards and the like.

As a configuration of the above storage device, in the first storageregion, the storage capacity allocated to each of the sensor regions ofthe sensors other than the sensor having the longest sampling periodamong the plurality of sensors can be a capacity necessary for storingthe sampling data for a period one or more to two or less times the oneperiod of the sensor having the longest sampling period. By configuringthe ring buffers for the respective sensors in this way, a memorycapacity of the first storage region can be greatly reduced.

Further, the control unit may include tag information in the data set,and the tag information may include time information on a time when thedata set is generated. By including the time information in this way,when the data set is used as log information, time management on thedata sets will be efficiently carried out.

Moreover, when an instruction signal is received from outside, thecontrol unit may generate the data set and writes the data set into thesecond storage region. By controlling a timing to generate the data setby the instruction signal in this way, it is possible to change thetiming according to a situation and the like of a device on which thestorage device is mounted. Furthermore, the control unit may change aperiod at which the data set generated and written into the secondstorage region in accordance with an instruction signal received fromoutside. With such a configuration, it is possible to periodicallycontrol the timing to generate the data set by using a timer and also tochange the period according to the situation and the like of the deviceon which the storage device is mounted. If the instruction signal issupplied only when the period is changed in this way, a load on thedevice on which the storage device is mounted can be reduced.

In addition, the first storage region and the second storage region maybe contained in one memory chip. With such a configuration, the memorycan be easily implemented, and the footprint of the memory can bereduced. Alternatively, there may be a first memory chip including thefirst storage region separately from a second memory chip including thesecond storage region. A data writable speed of the first memory chipmay be made greater than a data writable speed of the second memorychip. With such a configuration, performance required for each of thestorage regions can be optimally satisfied.

The above storage device further includes a third storage region notoverwritten until a reset signal is received. The control unit may beconfigured to, when it receives a saving signal from outside, copy datasets, the number thereof has been determined in advance, among aplurality of the data sets stored in the second storage region to thethird storage region. With such a configuration, in order to leaveoutputs of the sensors in a log, it is not necessary to access the firststorage region, and the data sets can be efficiently transferred to anon-erasing region.

In this case, the control unit may change a part of a region used as thesecond storage region to the third storage region every time it receivesthe saving signal. By using a part of the second storage region as thethird storage region in this way, the memory can be more efficientlyutilized. When the second storage region is deleted and use the deletedpart as the third storage region, the control unit may output a warningsignal when a storage capacity of the second storage region falls belowa capacity for storing the predetermined number of the data sets. Byoutputting the warning signal in this way, a user can recognize that heor she can no longer obtain the log.

Moreover, the control unit may change at least the number of the datasets to be copied to the third storage region and the data sets to becopied according to the saving signal from outside. With such aconfiguration, it is possible to flexibly respond to the period of theinformation necessary in the log, which differs according to thesituation of the device on which the storage device is mounted.

A mobile robot on which the plurality of sensors and the storage deviceare mounted may include a transmission unit configured to transmit thesaving signal to the storage device when any one of the plurality ofsensors detects a predetermined situation related to movement. Such aconfiguration allows efficient analysis afterwards of troubles and thelike at the time of the movement.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is a storage method forstoring sampling data of a plurality of sensors of different types intoa storage device. The storage method includes: a first storage step forwriting sampling data of the plurality of sensors into a plurality ofsensor regions, respectively, in a ring buffer format by using a firststorage region of the storage device as the plurality of sensor regions,a storage capacity into which the sampling data for a plurality ofperiods is written being allocated to each one of the plurality ofsensor regions; and a second storage step for generating a data set at apredetermined timing and writing the data set into the second storageregion in the ring buffer format by using a second storage region of thestorage device as a storage region for writing the data set, the dataset being generated by reading, from the respective plurality of sensorregions, sampling data of a sensor having a longest sampling periodamong the plurality of sensors for one period and sampling data of othersensors for a period corresponding to the period in which the samplingdata of the sensor for the one period is generated and integrating thesampling data.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is a storage program forstoring sampling data of a plurality of sensors of different types intoa storage device. The storage program causes a computer to execute: afirst storage step for writing sampling data of the plurality of sensorsinto a plurality of sensor regions, respectively, in a ring bufferformat by using a first storage region of the storage device as theplurality of sensor regions, a storage capacity into which the samplingdata for a plurality of periods is written being allocated to each oneof the plurality of sensor regions; and a second storage step forgenerating a data set at a predetermined timing and writing the data setinto the second storage region in the ring buffer format by using asecond storage region of the storage device as a storage region forwriting the data set, the data set being generated by reading, from therespective plurality of sensor regions, sampling data of a sensor havinga longest sampling period among the plurality of sensors for one periodand sampling data of other sensors for a period corresponding to theperiod in which the sampling data of the sensor for the one period isgenerated and integrating the sampling data.

With these aspects of the storage method and the storage program, thesame effects as those of the storage device can be expected.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to efficientlyobtain outputs from a plurality of sensors of different types by acompact hardware configuration in a log.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more fully understood from the detaileddescription given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which aregiven by way of illustration only, and thus are not to be considered aslimiting the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a mobile robot according tothe present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the mobile robot;

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for describing a ring buffer set in afirst memory;

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for describing generation of a data set;

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for describing a ring buffer set in asecond memory;

FIG. 6A is a conceptual diagram for describing a movement of a data setto be left as log information;

FIG. 6B is a conceptual diagram for describing a movement of a data setto be left as log information;

FIG. 6C is a conceptual diagram for describing a movement of a data setto be left as log information;

FIG. 6D is a conceptual diagram for describing a movement of a data setto be left as log information;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control flow of a storage device;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a storage device according to otherembodiments;

FIG. 9A is a conceptual diagram for describing a movement of a data setto be left as log information;

FIG. 9B is a conceptual diagram for describing a movement of a data setto be left as log information; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control flow of a mobile robot.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, although the present disclosure will be described withreference to embodiments of the invention, the present disclosureaccording to claims is not limited to the following embodiments.Moreover, all the components described in the following embodiments arenot necessarily indispensable for means to solve problems.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a mobile robot 10 on which astorage device according to the present disclosure is mounted. Themobile robot 10 is mainly composed of a cart part 110 and a holding part120.

The cart part 110 is mainly composed of a base 111, two driving wheels112 attached to the base 111, and one caster 113. The two driving wheels112 are arranged so that rotational axes thereof coincide on oppositelateral sides of the base 111. Each of the driving wheels 112 is rotatedindependently by a motor (not shown). The caster 113 is a trailingwheel. The caster 113 is disposed in such a way that a pivot shaftextending from the base 111 in the vertical direction pivotally supportsthe wheel away from a rotation axis of the wheel. The caster 113 followsthe cart part 110 in a direction in which the cart part 110 moves. Forexample, the mobile robot 10 moves straight if the two driving wheels112 are rotated at the same rotation speed in the same direction, whileit turns around a vertical axis passing through a center of gravitythereof if the two driving wheels 112 are rotated at the same rotationspeed in the directions opposite to each other.

Various sensors for detecting obstacles and for recognizing asurrounding environment are provided on the cart part 110. As thesesensors, cameras 240 for obtaining surrounding images, an accelerationsensor 250 for detecting acceleration during movement, and a distancesensor 290 for detecting a distance to an obstacle are provided. Thecart part 110 includes bumpers 116 for cushioning shock in the event ofa collision with an obstacle. Contact sensors 230 for detecting acontact with an obstacle are provided on the respective bumpers 116. Aplurality of these sensors are arranged as required.

A control unit 190 is provided in the cart part 110. The control unit190 includes a system control unit and a storage device which will bedescribed later. Further, sampling data output from each of theabove-described sensors is transmitted to the control unit 190.

The holding part 120 is mainly composed of a plurality of arms 121, 122,123 and a hand 124. One end of the arm 121 is rotatably supported by thebase 111 in such a way that the arm 121 is rotatable around the verticalaxis. One end of the arm 122 is rotatably supported by the other end ofthe arm 121 in such a way that the arm 122 is rotatable around ahorizontal axis. One end of the arm 123 is rotatably supported by theother end of the arm 122 in such a way that the arm 123 is rotatable ina radial direction at the other end of the arm 122. The hand 124 isrotatably supported by the other end of the arm 123 in such a way thatthe hand 124 is rotatable around a central axis parallel to a directionin which the arm 123 is extended.

The hand 124 includes a holding mechanism so as to be able to hold aconveying object, which is a workpiece for the mobile robot 10. Themobile robot 10 is not limited to conveying the conveying object butinstead can be employed for various purposes. The holding part 120 canhold various workpieces according to the purpose of the mobile robot 10.For example, a lever may be held to rotate the holding part 12 in orderto perform an operation of opening a door.

Like the cart part 110, various sensors for knowing a workpiece anddetecting posture are provided on the holding part 120. As thesesensors, a gyro sensor 260 for detecting tilt of the arm 123, a pressuresensor 270 for detecting a holding pressure of the hand 124, and arotary encoder 280 for detecting an amount of rotation of the arm 122are provided. Similar sensors are provided on various parts asnecessary. Further, like the sensors provided on the cart part 110, thesampling data output from each sensor is transmitted to the control unit190.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the mobile robot 10. The controlunit 190 mainly includes a system control unit 200 that comprehensivelycontrols the entire mobile robot 10, a storage device 30, and a bus line201. The bus line 201 is connected to the system control unit 200, thestorage device 30, various sensors, and various units. The bus line 201functions as a communication path for the sampling data and instructionsignals.

The system control unit 200 is, for example, a CPU. The system controlunit 200 transmits and receives information such as commands, thesampling data and the like to and from a driving wheel unit 210, an armunit 220, the sensors, a warning unit 202, and the storage device 30,whereby the system control unit 200 executes various calculation relatedto control of the mobile robot 10. The driving wheel unit 210 includes adriving circuit and a motor for driving the driving wheels 112 and isprovided in the cart part 110. The system control unit 200 transmits adriving signal to the driving wheel unit 210 to thereby control rotationof the driving wheels 112. The arm unit 220 includes a driving circuitand a motor for driving the arms 121, 122, and 123 and the hand 124 andis provided in the holding part 120. The system control unit 200transmits a driving signal to the arm unit 220 to control posture andholding of the holding part 120.

The contact sensors 230 are switches that become conductive, forexample, by pressing contact. The cameras 240 each include, for example,a CMOS image sensor, an imaging lens, and an image processing unit forconverting an image signal into frame image data. For example, onecamera 240 is provided at each of the four corners of the cart part 110.The camera 240 may be provided on the hand 124 so that a holding objectcan be observed. The acceleration sensor 250 is a sensor that detectsacceleration of the mobile robot 10. The acceleration sensor 250 may beprovided on the hand 124 to hold the holding object safely.

The gyro sensor 260 may be provided on the base 111 in order to know theposture of the cart part 110 in addition to being provided on the arms121, 122, and 123. The pressure sensor 270 is composed of, for example,a strain gauge. The rotary encoder 280 detects an amount of relativerotation of the arms 121, 122, and 123. The rotary encoder 280 isprovided not only in the holding part 120 but is also provided in thecart part 110 for detecting an amount of rotation of the driving wheels112. The distance sensor 290 is, for example, a laser rangefinder.

The sampling data output from these sensors is output to the bus line201 in synchronization with the sampling periods of the respectivesensors. That is, each sensor sequentially outputs the sampling data tothe bus line 201 in accordance with its own sampling period. Forexample, if a frame rate is set to 30 fps, the cameras 240 output imagedata of 30 frames per second to the bus line 201.

The warning unit 202 includes, for example, a speaker and an LED. Thewarning unit 202 notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred bymeans of sound or light when the system control unit 200 outputs awarning signal. The warning unit 202 may include a communication unitsuch as a wireless LAN and may be configured to transmit a warning to aterminal the user is using.

The storage device 30 mainly includes a memory control unit 300, a firstmemory 310, and a second memory 320. In this embodiment, the firstmemory 310 and the second memory 320 are configured as separate memorychips. For example, the first memory 310 is an SRAM which is a volatilememory, and the second memory is a FLASH memory which is a non-volatilememory. A data writable speed of the first memory 310, which is theSRAM, is greater than the data writable speed of the second memory 320,which is the FLASH memory.

The memory control unit 300 controls reading and writing of data fromand to the first memory 310 and the second memory 320. Specifically, aswill be described later, the memory control unit 300 sequentiallyreceives the sampling data of the respective sensors from the bus line201 and writes it into the first memory 310. Further, the memory controlunit 300 transfers the data from the first memory 310 to the secondmemory 320 in accordance with a command from the system control unit200. Note that control programs for controlling the mobile robot 10 andthe storage device 30, various parameter values, functions, lookuptables, and the like used for the control are stored in a part of astorage region of the second memory 320 or a non-volatile storage region(not shown). The system control unit 200 and the memory control unit 300read these programs and execute each of the controls.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for describing a ring buffer set in thefirst memory 310. The first memory 310 functions as a first storageregion including a plurality of sensor regions. The sensor regions areprovided for the plurality of sensors in the mobile robot 10,respectively. To each of the sensor regions, a storage capacity in whichthe sampling data for a plurality of periods is written are allocated.More specifically, the following sensor regions are provided. A ringbuffer 314 which is a region for sequentially storing the sampling dataof the cameras 240, a ring buffer 315 which is a region for sequentiallystoring the sampling data of the acceleration sensor 250, a ring buffer316 which is a region for sequentially storing the sampling data of thegyro sensor 260, a ring buffer 317 which is a region for sequentiallystoring the sampling data of the pressure sensor 270, a ring buffer 318which is a region for sequentially storing the sampling data of therotary encoder 280, a ring buffer 319 which is a region for sequentiallystoring the sampling data of the distance sensor 290.

The memory control unit 300 writes the sampling data of the sensors intothe respective ring buffers in a ring buffer format. In the ring bufferformat, the oldest sampling data is overwritten with the latest samplingdata, and the sampling data for a plurality of periods are continuouslyheld. In FIG. 3, one sensor region is shown for one type of sensor.However, when two or more sensors of the same type are provided, thesensor region is extended according to the number of the sensorsprovided.

As described above, each of the ring buffers 314 to 319 has the storagecapacity to write the sampling data for a plurality of periods. Forexample, the cameras 240 output image data of one frame in one period.The ring buffer 314 for the cameras 240 has the storage capacity towrite the image data of four frames as a whole. In FIG. 3, the storagecapacity per frame is conceptually represented by an area of onerectangle, and the ring buffer 314 is composed of four memory spaces A₁,A₂, A₃, and A₄. In a group of the sensors according to the presentdisclosure, it can be seen that the data capacity per sample is largefor the cameras 240, and the data capacity per sample for theacceleration sensor 250 and the gyro sensor 260 is small.

The horizontal width of the rectangle, which is a memory space where thesampling data is stored, indicates the sampling period as the timerequired for one sample. That is, in the group of the sensors accordingto the present disclosure, it can be seen that the sampling period ofthe distance sensor 290 is the longest, and the sampling periods of theacceleration sensor 250 and the gyro sensor 260 are relatively short. Inthe present disclosure, the sampling period of the distance sensor 290,which has the longest sampling period, is defined as reference oneperiod.

The contact sensor 230 is not a kind of sensor that obtains a physicalquantity of an observing object that changes by the minute in anumerical value. However, the memory control unit 300 can treat thecontact sensor 230 in the same way as the other sensors by setting, forexample, a contact state to 1 and a non-contact state to 0 andoutputting either of the values at fixed periods as the sampling data.In the present disclosure, a ring buffer is configured for a sensor thatoutputs the sampling data when it is turned on or off in the same way asthe ring buffers of the sensors that obtain physical quantities of anobserving object in numerical values. Therefore, in the first memory310, a ring buffer 313, which is a region for sequentially storing thesampling data of the contact sensor 230, is also configured as thesensor region.

In the present disclosure, the capacity necessary for storing thesampling data for two periods is provided for the storage capacityallocated to the ring buffer 319 for the distance sensor 290. Further,the capacity necessary for storing the sampling data for a period of oneor more to two or less times the reference one period is provided forthe storage capacity allocated to each of the ring buffers 313 to 318 ofthe sensors other than the distance sensor 290. For example, the ringbuffer 314 for the cameras 240 has a capacity to store the sampling datafor a period of about 1.5 times the reference one period. With such aconfiguration, in parallel to an operation of reading one piece of thesampling data, an operation of writing other pieces of the sampling datacan be carried out in any of the ring buffers. Thus, a capacity of thefirst memory 310 can be greatly reduced.

In the present disclosure, a data set 500 is generated at apredetermined timing. The data set 500 is obtained by reading, from thering buffers 313 to 319, respectively, the sampling data of the distancesensor 290 for reference one period and the sampling data of othersensors corresponding to the period during which the sampling data ofthe distance sensor 290 is generated and integrating these pieces ofsampling data. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for describing thegeneration of the data set 500.

The memory control unit 300 generates the data set 500 with reference tothe sampling period of the distance sensor 290 having the longestsampling period.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the ring buffer 319for the distance sensor 290 is composed of memory spaces F₁ and F₂ fortwo periods. At this time, if a generation instruction for the data setis issued while obtaining the sampling data in F₂ (at a timing indicatedby the open arrow in FIG. 4), the reference one period corresponding tothe sampling data in F₂ starts at the timing S indicated by the filledarrow and ends at the timing E indicated by another filled arrow.

The memory regions where the sampling data generated by the sensorsother than the distance sensor 290 in the period when the sampling datain F₂ is generated are indicated by, as an example, hatched regionsbetween S and E for the respective buffers. For example, in the case ofthe ring buffer 314 for the cameras 240, the corresponding memory regionis memory spaces A₂, A₃, and A₄. However, since the sampling periods ofthe respective sensors differ from each other (the sampling periods ofthe respective sensors could be the same), the hatched regionsdynamically change according to the timing when the generationinstruction is issued.

The memory control unit 300 generates the data set 500 by integratingthe sampling data in the hatched regions in the respective ring buffers.That is, the data set 500 includes sampling data 514 retrieved from thering buffer 314 for the cameras 240, sampling data 515 retrieved fromthe ring buffer 315 for the acceleration sensor 250, sampling data 516retrieved from the ring buffer 316 for the gyro sensor 260, samplingdata 517 retrieved from the ring buffer 317 for the pressure sensor 270,sampling data 518 retrieved from the ring buffer 318 for the rotaryencoder 280, sampling data 519 retrieved from the ring buffer 319 forthe distance sensor 290, and sampling data 513 retrieved from the ringbuffer 313 for the contact sensor 230.

Further, the data set 500 includes tag data 501 and diagnostic data 502.The tag data describes various kinds of information on attributes of thedata set 500. The tag data includes, for example, time information on atime when the data set is generated. The time information may be theinformation on a time when the generation instruction is issued or atime of the starting time S for each sampling data. Further, the tagdata includes ID information indicating a position of the mobile robot10 where the sensor, the sampling data thereof being included in thecorresponding data set 500, is mounted.

The diagnostic data 502 includes flags indicating whether or not voltagevalues at a plurality of predetermined positions in the control circuitare normal or abnormal recorded over corresponding periods. Such tagdata 501 and diagnostic data 502 are effective in terms of timemanagement and knowing the situations when the data set 500 is used forcontrol later or used afterwards for analyzing movements of the mobilerobot 10.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a ring buffer 321 set in thesecond memory 320. The ring buffer 321 is a second storage region forwriting the data set 500. The ring buffer 321 can store n data sets 500each composed of n memory spaces X₁ to X_(n) at an initial stage. Thememory control unit 300 writes the data set 500 into the ring buffer 321in a ring buffer format. In the ring buffer format, the oldest data setis overwritten with the latest data set, and a plurality of data sets (ndata sets in the initial stage) are continuously held.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are conceptual diagrams for describing themovement of the data set to be left as log information. The data set tobe left as the log information is moved from the second storage region,which is the ring buffer 321, to a third storage region, which is notoverwritten until a reset signal is received. In this embodiment, thethird storage region is reserved by sequentially changing a part of thering buffer 321 used as the second storage region in the second memory320 to a non-volatile buffer 322, which is used as the third storageregion. The memory region shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are describedas being composed of ten memory spaces X₁ to X₁₀ and having a storagecapacity capable of storing ten data sets. Further, in this case, thenumber of data sets to be moved to the third storage region when thememory control unit 300 receives a saving trigger as a saving signalshall be three (N=3). The number of data sets to be moved from thesecond storage region to the third storage region when the savingtrigger is received is determined in advance.

FIG. 6A shows a state where all the memory spaces are used as the ringbuffer 314 at an initial stage. For example, if the saving trigger isreceived when the latest data set is stored in X₅, the memory controlunit 300 determines three data sets stored in X₅ and X₄ and X₃, whichare sequentially counted backward from X₅, as data sets to be moved tothe third storage region.

FIG. 6B shows a state where memory spaces for the three data sets arereserved as the non-volatile buffer 322. The memory control unit 300changes the lower three memory spaces X₈ to X₁₀ used as the ring buffer321 to the non-volatile buffer 322 to be used as the third storageregion. That is, the storage region of the ring buffer 321 is changed toseven memory spaces X₁ to X₇. Then, the data sets in X₃ to X₅, which aredetermined to be moved in FIG. 6A, are copied to X₈ to X₁₀. The moveddata sets in X₈ to X₁₀ are denoted by D₁₋₁, D₁₋₂, and D₁₋₃,respectively, indicating the data sets moved by a first saving trigger.By this operation, the data sets D₁₋₁, D₁₋₂, and D₁₋₃ are saved withoutbeing overwritten until the reset signal is received. Moreover, sincethe second memory 320 is a non-volatile memory, these data sets are lefteven when power is not supplied to the storage device 30.

FIG. 6C shows a state where the memory spaces X₁ to X₇ are used as thering buffer 314 after the operation of FIG. 6B. For example, if thesaving trigger is received when the latest data set is stored in X₂, thememory control unit 300 determines three data sets stored in X₂ and X₁and X₇, which are sequentially traced backward from X₂, as data sets tobe moved to the third storage region.

FIG. 6D shows a state where the memory spaces corresponding to anotherthree data sets is reserved as the non-volatile buffer 322 after thestate of FIG. 6C.

The memory control unit 300 changes the lower three memory spaces X₅ toX₇ used as the ring buffer 321 to the non-volatile buffer 322 to be usedas the third storage region. That is, the storage region of the ringbuffer 321 is changed to four memory spaces X₁ to X₄. Then, the datasets in X₂, X₁, and X₇, which are determined to be moved in FIG. 6C andare denoted by D₂₋₁, D₂₋₂, and D₂₋₃, are copied to X₅ to X₇ by a secondsaving trigger. The moved data sets in X₅ to X₇ are denoted by D₂₋₁,D₂₋₂, and D₂₋₃, respectively, indicating the data sets moved by a secondsaving trigger. By this operation, the data sets D₂₋₁, D₂₋₂, and D₂₋₃are saved without being overwritten until the reset signal is received

In this way, when a part of the area used as the ring buffer 321 ischanged to the non-volatile buffer 322 every time the saving trigger isreceived, if the storage capacity of the ring buffer 321 falls below acapacity necessary for storing N data sets, the memory control unit 300outputs a warning signal. Specifically, the memory control unit 300transmits the warning signal to the system control unit 200, and whenthe system control unit 200 receives the warning signal, it causes thewarning unit 202 to generate a sound or light to notify the user that heor she will no longer be able to obtain the log. The user then canrecognize that he or she will no longer be able to obtain the log and,for example, stops the mobile robot 10 or has it transition to a safemode.

The number N of the data sets to be moved to the third storage regionwhen the memory control unit 300 receives the saving trigger may not bethree. When using the data set as a log, the necessary number N may beadjusted and determined in advance. Further, the number N may be changedaccording to the situations of the mobile robot 10. In this case,information that specifies the number N may be included in the savingsignal used as the saving trigger. The memory control unit 300 moves thespecified number N of data sets to the third storage region according tothe saving trigger.

Moreover, the latest data set when the saving trigger is received maynot be used as the reference of the data set to be moved and insteadanother data set may be used as a reference of the data set to be moved.As will be described later, the saving trigger is generated when apredetermined event occurs in the mobile robot 10. However, theinformation necessary as the log is not necessarily the information atthe time of the occurrence of the event. The information necessary asthe log differs according to the nature of the event and a timing whenthe output of the sensor is obtained. In such a case, the saving signal,which is the saving trigger, may include information specifying the dataset to be used as the reference. For example, if the number C of datasets to be counted backward is specified, the memory control unit 300moves N data sets to the third storage region with reference to the dataset C before the latest data set. By specifying the number C in thisway, it is possible to expand the range of the data sets to be used asthe log and to improve the reliability accuracy.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the storage device 30.The flow starts when the power of the mobile robot 10 is turned on, andthe sampling of each sensor is started.

In Step S101, the memory control unit 300 starts obtaining the samplingdata and writing the obtained sampling data into the first memory 310.As described above, the memory control unit 300 sequentially obtains thesampling data from each sensor through the bus line 201 in accordancewith the sampling period of the corresponding sensor. Then, therespective pieces of the sampling data are written into thecorresponding ring buffers 313 to 319 in the ring buffer format. Theseoperations are executed in parallel for the respective sensorscontinuously until the process proceeds to the Step S109.

In Step S102, the memory control unit 300 checks as to whether or notthe generation instruction to generate the data set 500 has beenreceived. If the generation instruction has not been received, theprocess proceeds to Step S108, whereas if the generation instruction hasbeen received, the process proceeds to Step S103. In this embodiment,the generation instruction is issued by the system control unit 200. Thesystem control unit 200 regularly issues the generation instruction insynchronization with, for example, a clock signal. The system controlunit 200 can change the period of issuing the generation instruction.For example, when the mobile robot 10 is moving at a high speed equal toor greater than a predetermined speed, the generation instruction isissued in short periods. When the mobile robot 10 is moving at a lowspeed less than the predetermined speed, the generation instruction isissued in long periods. Moreover, the memory control unit 300 may beconfigured to periodically generate a generation instruction signal, andthe system control unit 200 may be configured to transmit an instructionsignal to the memory control unit 300 to change the period. The memorycontrol unit 300 changes the period of issuing the generationinstruction signal in accordance with the instruction signal. With sucha configuration, the memory region can be effectively utilized becausethe data set 500 can be generated according to the situations of themobile robot 10.

In Step S103, the memory control unit 300 generates the data set 500 andwrites the data set 500 into the ring buffer 321, which is the secondstorage region of the second memory 320, in the ring buffer format.Specifically, the data set 500 is generated as described with referenceto FIG. 4. Further, the data set 500 is written as described withreference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Then, the process proceeds to Step S104where it is checked as to whether or not the memory control unit 300 hasreceived the saving trigger, which is the instruction for moving thedata set 500 to the third storage region that is a non-volatile memory.If the saving trigger has not been received, the process proceeds toStep S108. If the saving trigger has been received, the process proceedsto Step S105.

In Step S105, the memory control unit 300 moves the data sets to bemoved by copying them to the non-volatile buffer 322, which is the thirdstorage region. Specifically, the third storage region is sequentiallyextended as described with reference to FIG. 6D. Then, the processproceeds to Step S106 where the memory control unit 300 evaluates as towhether or not the memory capacity for storing N data sets remains inthe ring buffer 321, which is the second storage region. If there is thememory capacity for storing N data sets remaining in the ring buffer321, the process proceeds to Step S108. If not, the process proceeds toStep S107.

In Step S107, the memory control unit 300 transmits the warning signalto the system control unit 200. The system control unit 200 notifies theuser of the end of obtaining the log through the warning unit 202. Afterthat, the process proceeds to Step S109 where the memory control unit300 ends the obtaining and the writing of the sampling data continuouslyexecuted from Step S101 and then ends the series of the processing.

When the process proceeds to Step S108 from Step S102 or Step S106, inStep S108, the memory control unit 300 checks as to whether or not therehas been an instruction to power off the mobile robot 10 through thesystem control unit 200. If there has been no such instruction, theprocess returns to Step S102. If there has been such an instruction, theprocess proceeds to Step S109. When the process proceeds to Step S109,the obtaining and the writing of the sampling data are ended asdescribed above, and the series of the processing is ended.

Next, other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. Itshould be noted that device configurations and processing procedures notmentioned in particular are the same as those in the above-describedembodiment. Thus, descriptions thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a storage device 31 according to the otherembodiments. Unlike the above-described storage device 30, the storagedevice 31 further includes a third memory 330. The third memory 330 is,for example, a FLASH memory which is a non-volatile memory. The thirdmemory 330 includes a non-volatile buffer 322 as the third storageregion. Therefore, the storage region as the non-volatile buffer 322 isnot provided in the second memory 320 and instead the second memory 320is used as a dedicated region for the ring buffer 321.

With such a configuration, the second memory 320 may also be a volatilememory, and the first storage region as the first memory 310 and thesecond storage region as the second memory 320 may be arranged in onememory chip. If the first and second memory regions are mounted on onememory chip in this way, the memory can be easily implemented, and thefootprint of the memory can be reduced.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are conceptual diagrams for describing the movement ofthe data set to be left as the log information by the storage device 31.FIG. 9A shows a state of the ring buffer 321 in the second memory 320.In the ring buffer 321, memory spaces X₁ to X_(n) for storing n datasets as the second storage region are reserved, so that memory spaceswill not be reduced even if the saving trigger is issued. For example,when the saving trigger is issued at X₄, three data sets stored in X₂ toX₄ are moved if N=3. However, the memory spaces of X_(n-1) to X_(n)remain to be the ring buffer 321.

FIG. 9B shows a state of the non-volatile buffer 322 in the third memory330. As in the above-described embodiment, the moved data sets may bestored in order. If the dedicated non-volatile buffer 322 can bereserved, the memory space can be used more flexibly. In the exampleshown in FIG. 9B, a folder is provided in the non-volatile buffer 322for each event that can occur in the mobile robot 10. For example,folders 331, 332, and 333 are provided. The folder 331 is for storingdata sets generated in the event of a failure of the mobile robot 10,the folder 332 is for storing data sets generated at the time of anoccurrence of an impact, and the folder 333 is for storing data setsgenerated when the mobile robot 10 is approaching an obstacle.

When the memory control unit 300 receives the saving trigger that isissued in response to the event, it stores the target data setscollectively as a file 351 in the corresponding folder. If the data setsare collectively stored in this way, it is more convenient when the dataset 500 is used for control later or used afterwards for analyzingmovements of the mobile robot 10.

Next, a control flow of the system control unit 200 during the operationof the mobile robot 10 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showingthe control flow of the mobile robot 10. The system control unit 200drives and moves the driving wheels 112 or drives the holding part 120to convey a conveying object according to a given task. However, in thefollowing descriptions, processing related to the storage device 30 willbe focused on. In this example, although the storage device 30 isassumed to be mounted on the mobile robot 10, the following operationwill be mostly the same as the case when the storage device 31 ismounted on the mobile robot 10. Moreover, the processing flow of thememory control unit 300 described with reference to FIG. 7 is executedin parallel and in association with the processing flow of FIG. 10.

The flow starts when the power of the mobile robot 10 is turned on, andthe sampling of each sensor is started. In Step S201, the system controlunit 200 checks as to whether or not the mobile robot 10 is moving. Ifthe mobile robot 10 is moving, the process proceeds to Step S202 wherethe number N of the data sets 500 to be copied from the ring buffer 321to the non-volatile buffer 322 by one saving trigger is set to a numberN_(m), which has been determined in advance for use while the mobilerobot 10 is moving. Further, the number C indicating how many data setto count backward from the latest data set to be used as the referencedata set is set to a number C_(m), which has been determined in advancefor use while the mobile robot 10 is moving. The numbers N_(m) and C_(m)are determined in advance based on an experiment and the like as theoptimum numbers for log analysis and the like for use while the mobilerobot 10 is moving.

The process proceeds to Step S203 where the system control unit 200evaluates as to whether or not an event has occurred. The event is, forexample, “failure”, “impact”, “approach”, and the like. Especiallyevents that are assumed to require log analysis afterwards as troublesin the mobile robot 10 could be regarded as the events. In the case of a“failure”, for example, if the output of the acceleration sensor 250stays zero even when the system control unit 200 transmits the drivingsignal to the driving wheel unit 210, the system control unit 200evaluates that the event of the “failure” has occurred. That is, whenthere is an inconsistency equal to or greater than a threshold betweenthe driving signal being transmitted and the relevant sensor output, orwhen the system control unit 200 obtains the sensor output indicatingthat the mobile robot 10 is not safe due to the surrounding environment,the system control unit 200 evaluates that the event has occurred. Inparticular, while the mobile robot 10 is moving, when any one of thesensors detects a predetermined situation related to the movement, suchas when the mobile robot 10 is about to ride on a step, the systemcontrol unit 200 may evaluate that the event has occurred. This isbecause when the mobile robot 10 is about to ride on a step, it mayoften need to analyze the log as the robot may undergo an impact orselect a route different from a planned route.

If the system control unit 200 evaluates that the event has occurred, ittransmits the saving trigger to the memory control unit 300 in StepS204, and the process proceeds to Step S205. If the system control unit200 evaluates that the event has not occurred, the process skips StepS204 and proceeds to Step S205. If the saving trigger in transmitted inStep S204, the information on N_(m) and C_(m) may be attached to thesaving trigger.

In Step S205, the system control unit 200 checks as to whether or notthe mobile robot 10 has stopped. If the system control unit 200evaluates that the mobile robot 10 has not stopped, the process returnsto Step S203. If the system control unit 200 evaluates that the mobilerobot 10 has stopped, the process proceeds to Step S206 where the systemcontrol unit 200 checks as to whether or not there has been aninstruction to power off the mobile robot 10. If there has been noinstruction to power off the mobile robot 10, the process returns toStep S201, whereas if there has been an instruction to power off themobile robot 10, a series of the processing is ended.

If the system control unit 200 confirms that the mobile robot 10 is notmoving in Step S201, the process proceeds to Step S207 where the systemcontrol unit 200 checks as to whether or not the arms 121 to 123 and thehand 124 are in operation. If they are in operation, the processproceeds to Step S208 where the system control unit 200 sets the numberN of data sets 500 to be copied from the ring buffer 321 to thenon-volatile buffer 322 by one saving trigger to a number N_(a), whichhas been determined in advance for use during operation of the arms andthe like. Further, the number C indicating how many data set to countbackward from the latest data set to be used as the reference data setis set to a number C_(a), which has been determined in advance for useduring operation of the arms and the like. The numbers N_(a) and C_(a)are determined in advance based on an experiment or the like as theoptimum numbers for log analysis and the like of the arms and the likeduring their operations.

The process proceeds to Step S209 where the system control unit 200evaluates as to whether or not an event has occurred. The events to beevaluated are the same as those of Step S203. In particular, when thearms and the like are in operation, it may be determined that an eventhas occurred when any one of the sensors detects a predeterminedsituation related to the operation of the arms and the like.

If the system control unit 200 evaluates that an event has occurred, ittransmits the saving trigger to the memory control unit 300 in StepS210, and the process proceeds to Step S211. If the system control unit200 evaluates that an event has not occurred, the process skips StepS209 and proceeds to Step S211. If the saving trigger in transmitted inStep S210, the information on N_(a) and C_(a) may be attached to thesaving trigger.

In Step S211, the system control unit 200 checks as to whether or notthe operation of the arms and the like has been stopped. If the systemcontrol unit 200 evaluates that the mobile robot 10 has not stopped, theprocess returns to Step S209. If the system control unit 200 evaluatesthat the mobile robot 10 has stopped, the process proceeds to Step S206where the system control unit 200 checks as to whether or not there hasbeen an instruction to power off the mobile robot 10. If there has beenno instruction to power off the mobile robot 10, the process returns toStep S201, whereas if there has been an instruction to power off themobile robot 10, a series of the processing is ended.

In Step S207, if the system control unit 200 confirms that the arms andthe like are not in operation, the process proceeds to Step S212 andsets the number N of the data sets 500 to be copied from the ring buffer321 to the non-volatile buffer 322 by one saving trigger to a numberN_(s), which has been determined in advance for use while the operationis stopped. Further, the number C indicating how many data set to countbackward from the latest data set to be used as the reference data setis set to a predetermined number C_(s), which has been determined inadvance for use while the operation is stopped. The numbers N_(s) andC_(s) are determined in advance based on an experiment or the like asthe optimum numbers for log analysis and the like of the arms and thelike while the operation is stopped.

The process proceeds to Step S213 where the system control unit 200evaluates as to whether or not the event has occurred. The events to beevaluated are the same as those of Step S203. In particular, while theoperation of the mobile robot is stopped, the system control unit 200may evaluate that the event has occurred when any one of the sensorsdetects a predetermined situation related to the operation stop.

If the system control unit 200 evaluates that an event has occurred, ittransmits the saving trigger to the memory control unit 300 in StepS214, and the process proceeds to Step S206. If the system control unit200 evaluates that an event has not occurred, the process skips StepS214 and proceeds to Step S206. If the saving trigger in transmitted inStep S214, the information on N_(s) and C_(s) may be attached to thesaving trigger.

When the process proceeds to Step S206, the system control unit 200checks as to whether or not there has been an instruction to power offthe mobile robot 10. If there has been no instruction to power off themobile robot 10, the process returns to Step S201, whereas if there hasbeen an instruction to power off the mobile robot 10, a series of theprocessing is ended. As described above, the system control unit 200 mayappropriately provide the generation instruction for generating a dataset to the memory control unit 300.

In the above-described present disclosure, the case where the storagedevice 30 or 31 is mounted on the mobile robot 10 has been described.However, the storage devices 30 or 31 having the above-describedconfiguration may be mounted on a device other than a mobile robot. Thestorage device 30 or 31 may be mounted on a device including a pluralityof sensors of different types such as an automatic driving vehicle thatautonomously moves by using a plurality of sensors including a sensorusing a sound such as an ultrasonic wave, a sensor for obtaining adistance such as a laser sensor, a camera, and the like. In this case,the storage device 30 or 31 may be used as a device for analyzing a logafterwards.

The program can be stored and provided to a computer using any type ofnon-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readablemedia include any type of tangible storage media. Examples ofnon-transitory computer readable media include magnetic storage media(such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives, etc.), opticalmagnetic storage media (e.g. magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (compactdisc read only memory), CD-R (compact disc recordable), CD-R/W (compactdisc rewritable), and semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM(programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random accessmemory), etc.). The program may be provided to a computer using any typeof transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computerreadable media include electric signals, optical signals, andelectromagnetic waves. Transitory computer readable media can providethe program to a computer via a wired communication line (e.g. electricwires, and optical fibers) or a wireless communication line.

From the invention thus described, it will be obvious that theembodiments of the invention may be varied in many ways. Such variationsare not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of theinvention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilledin the art are intended for inclusion within the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage device for storing sampling data of aplurality of sensors of different types, the storage device comprising:a first storage region comprising a plurality of sensor regions for theplurality of the sensors, respectively, a storage capacity into whichsampling data for a plurality of periods is written being allocated toeach one of the plurality of sensor regions; a second storage regioninto which a data set is written, the data set being generated byreading, from the respective plurality of sensor regions, sampling dataof a sensor having a longest sampling period among the plurality ofsensors for one period and sampling data of other sensors for a periodcorresponding to the period in which the sampling data of the sensor forthe one period is generated and integrating the sampling data; and acontrol unit configured to write the sampling data of the plurality ofsensors into the plurality of sensor regions, respectively, in a ringbuffer format and generate the data set at a predetermined timing andwrite the data set into the second storage region in the ring bufferformat.
 2. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein in the firststorage region, the storage capacity allocated to each of the sensorregions of the sensors other than the sensor having the longest samplingperiod among the plurality of sensors is a capacity necessary forstoring the sampling data for a period one or more to two or less timesthe one period of the sensor having the longest sampling period.
 3. Thestorage device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includestag information in the data set, and the tag information includes timeinformation on a time when the data set is generated.
 4. The storagedevice according to claim 1, wherein when an instruction signal isreceived from outside, the control unit generates the data set andwrites the data set into the second storage region.
 5. The storagedevice according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a periodat which the data set generated and written into the second storageregion in accordance with an instruction signal received from outside.6. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the first storageregion and the second storage region are contained in one memory chip.7. The storage device according to claim 1, further comprising: a firstmemory chip including the first storage region; and a second memory chipincluding the second storage region different from the first memorychip, wherein a data writable speed of the first memory chip is greaterthan a data writable speed of the second memory chip.
 8. The storagedevice according to claim 1, further comprising a third storage regionnot overwritten until a reset signal is received, wherein when a savingsignal is received from outside, the control unit copies data sets, thenumber thereof has been determined in advance, among a plurality of thedata sets stored in the second storage region to the third storageregion.
 9. The storage device according to claim 8, wherein the controlunit changes a part of a region used as the second storage region to thethird storage region every time it receives the saving signal.
 10. Thestorage device according to claim 9, wherein the control unit outputs awarning signal when a storage capacity of the second storage regionfalls below a capacity for storing the number of the data sets.
 11. Thestorage device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit changes atleast the number of the data sets to be copied to the third storageregion and the data sets to be copied according to the saving signal.12. A mobile robot on which the plurality of sensors and the storagedevice according to claim 1 are mounted, the mobile robot comprising atransmission unit configured to transmit the saving signal to thestorage device when any one of the plurality of sensors detects apredetermined situation related to movement.
 13. The mobile robotaccording to claim 12, wherein the predetermined situation related tothe movement includes a situation where a step is present in a travelingdirection.
 14. A storage method for storing sampling data of a pluralityof sensors of different types into a storage device, the storage methodcomprising: a first storage step for using a first storage region of thestorage device as a plurality of sensor regions and writing the samplingdata of the plurality of sensors into the plurality of sensor regions,respectively, in a ring buffer format, a storage capacity into which thesampling data for a plurality of periods is written being allocated toeach one of the plurality of sensor regions; and a second storage stepfor using a second storage region of the storage device as a storageregion for writing a data set, generating the data set at apredetermined timing, and writing the data set into the second storageregion in the ring buffer format, the data set being generated byreading, from the respective plurality of sensor regions, sampling dataof a sensor having a longest sampling period among the plurality ofsensors for one period and sampling data of other sensors for a periodcorresponding to the period in which the sampling data of the sensor forthe one period is generated and integrating the sampling data.
 15. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing a storage program forstoring sampling data of a plurality of sensors of different types intoa storage device, the storage program causing a computer to execute: afirst storage step for using a first storage region of the storagedevice as a plurality of sensor regions and writing the sampling data ofthe plurality of sensors into the plurality of sensor regions,respectively, in a ring buffer format, a storage capacity into which thesampling data for a plurality of periods is written being allocated toeach one of the plurality of sensor regions; and a second storage stepfor using a second storage region of the storage device as a storageregion for writing a data set, generating the data set at apredetermined timing, and writing the data set into the second storageregion in the ring buffer format, the data set being generated byreading, from the respective plurality of sensor regions, sampling dataof a sensor having a longest sampling period among the plurality ofsensors for one period and sampling data of other sensors for a periodcorresponding to the period in which the sampling data of the sensor forthe one period is generated and integrating the sampling data.